2008 Rear Diff leaking

So I have a 2008 Tundra that I’ve put about 20k miles on since I bought it. It has 144k now and who knows when the last time the previous owner did any maintence on the diffs. But I just noticed tonight the rear diff is leaking out of the fill bolt but somehow it got all over the front of the diff too which I’m sort of confused about. I did put 37s on it about 5k miles ago and was planning on regearing but was hoping to put it off a little longer so this isn’t good. I plan on just draining the fluid and refilling tomorrow with new washers and torquing it to spec and see what happens from there. Sound like a good idea, any suggestions? I’ve noticed a little harder shifting the past few days but no clunking or anything that would lead me to believe it’s completey shot, do you think it could just be a simple leak or am I stuck forking over the money for 4.88s? I really wanted to wait for the 5.29s in a few months. Thanks for the help

 

But cyber Monday is tomorrow so should I just buy the 4.88s and an Auburn lsd if there’s a good deal? Cheapest I see for gears is 1300 right now but maybe someone knows a site with a good sale tomorrow...?

 

Contact Keith @dirtydeeds where I got mine from. Best price I could find

 

About 1200 for gears? I might have to

 

No ones had this happen? Does it mean I need new gears or could it just be leaking?

 

I would start by fixing the fill plug leak. Clean it up real good and see if it returns. While you have it opened make sure it’s topped off or possibly overfilled. If that seemed to fix it then go ahead and maybe change the fluid for good measure. It could be oil coming out of the front seal on the yolk or turbulent wind could be causing the oil to move forward on the dif while driving. If it’s not howling or making funky noises I don’t think you need a rebuild. At the most you might need some seals. If that’s all it needs just wait until you’re ready to do the gears and have the seals and/or bearings replaced at the same time.

 

Awesome thanks a ton, I’m going to go get 2 qts of fluid today and I’ll fill it up and torque the bolts and see if it leaks again. Guess I’ll go from there and see what happens, thanks again man

 

They take a crush washer for the fill and drain plug.

 

Yeah I read that, I’ll get two when I pick up the fluid. I’ll let you know how it goes

 

I have 4.88 revolution gears in my 08, I bought them off ebay, front and back with mini kits for 758.00. I know those 5.29 are coming out mar. 31st, I wish I would have waited but, blew my rear end doing dumb stuff..lol

 

I’m praying mine is alright, I’m not quite sure how to tell. No noise or anything that I’ve noticed so hopefully it’s just leaking. I’m replacing the washers and refilling with fluid tomorrow

 

You will probably be ok after you refill it, Mine was so bad that it started making a noise like I had a chain in it, then it started clunking bad, pretty much skipping teeth. So I ran it in 4 wheel drive and took out the driveline to get it to the shop

 

Damn yeah nothing like that for me. I’ll keep this thread updated though Incase anyone’s interested. I’ll probably do the 5.29s in summertime regardless

 

Ya, I would wait, I have 38's and didnt notice alot of difference between the stock 4.30 and 4.88's. I know I will get the 5.29's eventually.

 

man that sucks. mines not leaking but it's humming and i've got a "clunk" that happens at certain times. 4.88's may be in my future too...

 

Really? I basically never even use 6th gear now unless I’m going like 60 and if I even breathe on the pedal it’s down shifting. I can tell it needs it. The 5.29s sound good for both of us, I’m on 37s but I want 38x15.5 for my next set of tires

 

The first thing to check is the breather. It's a little cap on top of the diff. It should feel loose and easily spin if your try to twist it. Over time they get plugged and the pressure builds up inside the diff as it heats up. The end result is the pressure pushes oil out. They are easily replaced (although occasionally twisting them is all that's needed) or upgraded. When I was into off roading I would replace it with a rubber hose that I would run up to a point high enough so it was always above water.